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NBA Picks

Nuggets vs. Thunder NBA Picks & Predictions

Will Kevin Durant and the Thunder storm past Ty Lawson and the Nuggets? Check out our NBA odds preview for tonight's matchup.

Odds Overview

Current NBA odds list the Thunder as a large nine-point favorites for this home
tilt against the Nuggets. Oklahoma City is 6-3 SU and 4-5 ATS on the year, with
Denver at 4-5 SU and 4-5 ATS.

Both teams can score the rock, which is why the total is
right around 211. The OVER has hit in six of nine matchups for both teams so
far this season. SHould this trend alone make the OVER an easy choice for our NBA picks, or are bettors smart to look elsewhere?

[gameodds]5/247692/?r-1=19-43-349/us[/gameodds]

Denver Nuggets

After a rough 0-3 start, the Nuggets have responded by
winning four of six, which has included a road win over Utah and home triumphs
against Atlanta, Minnesota and the LA Lakers.

Denver has been off since Saturday night's 122-11 loss in
Houston. The Nuggets were eight-point dogs coming in, but were dreadful
defensively, allowing the Rockets to shoot 50.6 percent from the floor.

Despite the loss, Ty Lawson was outstanding. He had 28
points on 11-of-19 shooting and added a career-high 17 assists to go along with
two rebounds, two steals and a block. J.J. Hickson, Wilson Chandler and Evan
Fournier were the three other Nuggets to reach double figures in scoring.

While Denver has turned the corner somewhat as of late,
there are still issues that need addressing. The Nuggets are ranked #13 in
offensive efficiency and are all the way down at #23 on the defensive side of
the ball.

New coach Brian Shaw is trying to figure out his best
rotation and it does look like his players are starting to buy into the new
system. Still, will they be good enough to beat the mighty Thunder on the road?

It wasn't the most successful of trips, as Oklahoma City
fell to Golden State (116-115) and the LA Clippers (111-103), with that loss to
the Warriors coming on a last-second shot from Andre Iguodala. However, the
Thunder did bounce back on Saturday, beating Milwaukee 92-79 on the road.

It was OKC's second straight cover against the spread and
Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka were all terrific in the win.

Durant had a 24/5/4 line while connecting on 7-of-15 from
the floor (3-of-5 from three), Westbrook went for 26 points on 10-of-20
shooting, and Ibaka had a monster double-double of 15 points and 20 rebounds
while also blocking four shots.

It was a great response from the Thunder on both ends of the
court, and that's been a common theme so far this season. Though they haven't
been quite as dominant as last year's numbers, Oklahoma City is still ranked in
the top ten in both offensive and defensive efficiency. We'll find out soon
enough if they can carry that over and send Denver away with a loss.

NBA Pick

Dating back to last season, the Nuggets have won three
straight head-to-head meetings both SU and ATS.

Much has changed for Denver since then though and we're just
not sure they'll be able to stay close with Oklahoma City for the entire 48
minutes. Westbrook has the athleticism to stay with Lawson and the Nuggets
don't have anyone that can really keep Durant in check.

The Thunder have still yet to lose at home, having beaten
Dallas, Phoenix and Washington. We look for them to eventually pull away from
the Nuggets, improving their record to 7-3 SU (and 5-5 ATS) in the process.